The invention relates to a spray nozzle or showerhead and more particularly to an improved one which is operable to discharge a number of continuous sprays and a pulsating spray and the combination thereof.
Spray nozzles or showerheads which are operable to discharge a continuous spray and/or a pulsating spray are known. A conventional spray nozzle is capable of discharging only a pulsating spray so as to produce a massaging effect, on striking the body of a person using the showerhead, which in most instances is found to be quite stimulating. However, this feature is in some cases undesirable. For example, persons may prefer to have a pulsating spray available at the beginning or end of the shower with a gentle continuous spray available at other times. Other persons are highly sensitive to the pulsating action of the spray and would prefer to have a nonpulsating spray, thus creating a problem in families where some members prefer the pulsating spray while other members do not.
Another conventional spray nozzle, in addition to a showerhead spray, possesses the capability of discharging a continuous or nonpulsating spray and further provides the possibility of a spray which combines both pulsating and nonpulsating streams and in which the proportion of the pulsating to nonpulsating streams can be varied at will.
In order to obtain the best utilization and efficiency, the instant invention aims to provide a spray nozzle operable to discharge a continuously coarse spray, a pulsating spray, a variable combination of the coarse spray and pulsating spray, a continuously fine spray and a variable combination of the fine spray and pulsating spray.
The spray nozzle according to the instant invention includes a slotted connecting plate having a connecting tube formed thereon, the connecting tube being provided with one or more holes through which flow is directed to discharge a continuously coarse spray out of a first group of discharge orifices via a first slot of the connecting plate. The connecting plate is further provided with a second slot for directing flow to discharge a continuously fine spray out of a second group of discharge orifices, and a third slot for directing flow into a spray cup assembly so as to drive a rotary valve member in rotation and therefore discharge a pulsating spray out of a third group of discharge orifices.
The spray nozzle according to the instant invention further provided with a flow directing plate having first, second and third slots formed thereon through which flow may be directed through three separate groups of discharge orifices to discharge a continuously coarse spray, a continuously fine spray and a pulsating spray respectively, or alternatively to discharge a combination of the pulsating spray and the coarse spray or fine spray.
These and other objects and advantages of the instant invention will become apparent by reference to the following specification and to the accompanying drawings.